Page:The Emu volume 21.djvu/88

 ashbyi, or the much smaller sub-species gwendlenæ that occurs at Carnarvon?

Page 144. Were the Bush Larks (Mirafra horsfieldi) seen in the vicinity of Geraldton, this species, or the more northern form, woodwardi, that I have not as yet seen south of the Minilya River? Mathews' List of Birds of Australia, 1913, mentions no Bush Lark occurring in the south-west areas, or south of the Onslow district.

In reply to Mr. Whitlock's query respecting birds of Dirk Hartog Island—"If he (Carter) includes in the comprehensive term of 'Wrens,' Wren-Warblers (Malurus), Field-Wrens (Calamanthus), Scrub-Wrens (Sericornis) and Emu-Wrens (Stipiturus)"—I say, yes. I did mean including them. The nomenclature of the joint paper by Mr. Mathews and myself in the Ibis for October, 1917, was by Mr. Mathews, as stated in the heading and also on page 571. In his Reference List of 1912, Maluri = "Wrens." For the same reason, Malurus assimilis (p. 182 of The Emu) was called the Western Blue-breasted Wren.

According to Mr. Whitlock's map showing the country that he worked in Shark Bay, his "beat" on the Peron Peninsula did not take him as far east as where the Mallee-fowl (Leipoa) used to breed.

Mr. Whitlock surmises that the Scrub-Wren (Sericornis hartogi) breeds towards the end of summer. It is certainly remarkable that such a successful nest-finder as he is should fail to find any breeding data. From my own experience on Dirk Hartog, I should say that the regular breeding season is in the winter months there, because on my second visit to that island, commencing on September 28, I find recorded in my diary that many small fledged young of this Scrub-Wren (and also Field-Wrens) were observed by me on September 29, and the following days, and one day Mr. Lloyd brought me a young Sericornis that he had caught with his hands, as it was too young to fly. Most of the small birds in the north-west and mid-west areas breed after any heavy rainfall, irrespective of the season. Mr. Whitlock experienced heavy rains in the 1920 winter. Were there any earlier heavy rains that season in Shark Bay? In which case the Sericornis might have bred then, but the other small birds would also probably have done so. Mr. Whitlock records having seen one brood of young Sericornis on his visit.

Mr. Whitlock records seeing several pairs of "Circus assimilis Allied Harrier?" on Dirk Hartog Island. According to the R.A.O.U. Check-list of 1913 (which nomenclature he was using). Circus assimilis is the Spotted Swamp-Hawk, and the Allied Harrier (Swamp Hawk) is Circus gouldi. Personally I